Monday, September 23, 2013

I'm organizing a complaint to the US Patent and Trademark Office which says that Lockheed Martin (NYSE: LMT) shouldn't be granted a trademark for "Cyber Kill Chain" because it is in common usage. As I wrote earlier, I was surprised that they even filed for a trademark since I was the one who first coined the term (as far as I can tell), but coinage of the phrase isn't enough to defeat Lockheed Martin's attempt to trademark and build a business around it. Common usage, however, is an argument that the US PTO will listen to, especially if we can show a good number of people objecting to its registration.

If you wish to have your name added to my US PTO complaint, please send me an email to that effect. It should include your contact information, how often you've used the phrase, and your objection to LMT's trademarking of it.

Tuesday, September 17, 2013

Suits and Spooks DC is coming up on January 20-21, 2014 and Suits and Spooks Singapore will be March 20-21, 2014. The theme for both conferences will be on how companies can safely conduct business when they operate in what is essentially a digital battlefield. U.S. multinational firms not only have to contend with hacktivists targeting their websites and hacker groups stealing and selling their intellectual property. Their communications are being collected and monitored by most foreign intelligence services and insiders seem to be able to gain access to whatever they want.

If you've got an idea for a topic that fits this theme, please shoot me an email with a title and an abstract. Preliminary information on both events is available at the SuitsandSpooks.com website.